Check this out: Joseph No Mates, lost and unacknowledged in Brussels, but a bully at home
Joseph Muscat talks to reporters outside the Brussels meeting as though he’s some kind of big-shot holding everyone hostage, having given his peers “until December” to comply with his demands.
Then he walks in and the cameras reveal him to be lost, unacknowledged and insecure, with nobody “walking him in to dinner” and having literally to clutch at somebody at the tail-end when everyone else walks out laughing and talking and leaves him behind after the pictures have been taken.
The big-talking, self-confident bully at home suddenly finds himself transported back to the school playground at St Aloysius College, completely overlooked, edged out and unable to join in naturally.
Then he flies back home and exorcises his feelings of awkwardness and invisibility by throwing his weight around on the massive world stage of Malta, with corrupt and sleazy businessmen who only have time for him as long as he is the means to their end, with the beaten Opposition and with assorted trolls and idiots who admire somebody who wins by lying, cheating and using vicious and uncivilised tactics.
Malta – a world unto itself.
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http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/event/european-council-summit-october-2013/family-photo119
The link is broken.
What I find ‘surreal’ is that Muscat was an MEP for a number of years. One would expect him to have plenty of friends and be greeted quite enthusiastically when he’s back in Belgium.
Would you or I have plenty of Eurofriends if we acted like twats in the European Parliament? Like hack we would.
Nobody loves the Michelin man
Indeed.
When I was growing up, quite a few of my peers were the Joseph Muscat type. Life planned out to a T, got where they wanted to, never failed, always the winners. And they impressed everyone. They were obviously so successful that they followed up their phenomenal success abroad, and “marru barra”.
Then they found that Johnny Foreigner isn’t as easily impressed as the hicks back home in Malta. Because the world is larger than a nine by fourteen mile rock, and Out There, you have some real heroes, geniuses, nies bravi and nisa ta’ success. So all they’re not impressed by the Maltese zaghzugh.
And most of them went back to Malta, home, and comfortable conceit.
Joseph No Mates was busy working on his Phd whilst he was meant to be representing us in Brussels.
No wonder nobody can remember him.
He was very busy working at his PhD, so he did not have much time to build friendships. Miskin Joe taghhom.
Worth watching though. He reminds me of the spinster aunt in Victorian novels – for the younger generation- the single lady invited at family gatherings as a charitable gesture.
I can’t imagine why. It’s the same link if you go via this route. Click on this, then scroll down and select the ‘family photo’ video:
http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/event/video/european-council-day-1-october-2013
The field ‘Family Photo’ is very apt in this case. I bet it won’t get included in the beefed-up family album.
Perhaps the most eloquent statement in the Family Photo clip is the body language of Mark Rutte, the Dutch PM, who is standing right next to Joey Taghna. He is constantly shifting away from him and manages to give him his back, even while they are standing abreast. He’s simply ignoring him.
Joseph Muscat has made it clear that he prefers China to Europe, and Europe has reacted accordingly.
The correct link is
http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/event/european-council-day-1-october-2013/family-photo119
The poor man just does not know how to speak to people unless they are waving red flags and worshipping him.
Did you watch him on Sky News yesterday? I felt so embarrassed for him that I had to look away.
I commend him for his efforts but he’s going about it the wrong way.
Why commend him for his efforts? He’s not trying to save lives. He’s trying to get into the limelight.
Whether you support the man or not we do have a problem in Malta and lives are being lost at sea.
Now, is he creating a media storm for the right reasons… NO but at lest he’s bringing it to the attention of many.
Now don’t get me wrong I don’t like the man and I think he’s a smug narcissist and the thought of him gives me chicken skin.
Why commend him for his efforts ? He speaks and thinks in sound bites.
Why commend him for his efforts? Without teleprompters he always looks lost.
I pity him. The typical bully at school. Hiding his fear and lack of self confidence behind the mask of self-assurance and arrogance with journalists. Embarrassing for the rest of us.
Dahal wahdu, inkazzat.
Every family has a black sheep
“Please get me out of here. I wanna go home where I feel sejf for bisniss.”
I swear to God he said the “United Snakes” which he then corrected to “States”. Freudian Slip? Intentional mistake?
http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/event/european-council-day-1-october-2013/arrival-and-doorstep-muscat-mt1
I think it was intentional.
Must have been his idea of British humour.
My, my even David Cameron has dropped his fat European Council fag (in the public school meaning of the word). They stuck him at the extreme end of the group.
Joseph Muscat has the gravitas of a newt.
His treatment will be mirrored in the treatment we will again be receiving in future, collectively as a nation. I had forgotten what it was like to be humiliated and ill-treated by foreigners on the basis of being Maltese, but looking back, it corresponds with periods of Labour government and the immediate aftermath, until the PN rebuild our credibility.
Where I work, our foreign suppliers have recently started asking us for assurances, declarations and certifications of/about/for our Maltese customers, details which they previously only asked of us in respect of our Libyan customers.
That’s what you get if you project a disreputable image of your country as our Labour government is doing.
It was different when we had Gonzi. That was another Malta.
http://292fc373eb1b8428f75b-7f75e5eb51943043279413a54aaa858a.r38.cf3.rackcdn.com/2a6a6980dfa07fe6298fdbf765d377c6913727895-1300929810-4d8a9d12-620×348.jpg
http://292fc373eb1b8428f75b-7f75e5eb51943043279413a54aaa858a.r38.cf3.rackcdn.com/3b42bcce1482e8d1e13aafe3a2abe483789406520-1350583225-508043b9-620×348.jpg
http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/article-1288301473626-0bd03fa6000005dc-152888_636x357.jpg
http://sofiaecho.com/shimg/zx620y348_1756231.jpg
Gonzi seems ‘part of the family’ while Muscat is totally ignored. Well, it might be that Muscat just needs a little bit more time to make friends.
The family doesn’t need business cards or regular updating with recrafted online bios, once you’re there, the look in the eyes says it all. Joseph Muscat is simply shifty. Not Trustworthy. Will only proceed with like. They’ve sniffed him out all right. Good for them.
Now for the sulk and the tantrums.
No, he doesn’t need time – that is not the point here.
The respective leaders’ behaviour is carefully rehearsed before attending these events. Muscat must have been intentionally shunned on the advice of the respective countries’ diplomatic corps. I may be wrong but it would appear to be that way to me.
The body language of Joseph Muscat and his Dutch counterpart is hilarious in THIS photo – http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131025/local/no-concrete-breakthrough-expected-from-eu-summit.491873#.UmpRYhRBvIU
Joey came over to Rutte to speak to him as he’s seated in the Slovenian seat here.
Of course Mark Rutte is not that interested.
Rutte is not changing much on this issue but told the press that a surveillance plane will be lent to scan the Mediterranean for 3 weeks in December.
He stated this in an interview where he also said that Holland’s immigration influx is way too high when compared to some south European countries. So “nothing was changing for Holland” he said.
And it wasn’t just at EU summits. I can’t believe we gave up Gonzi and settled for Muscat.
http://images.alarabiya.net/de/eb/640x392_50838_242115.jpg
Miskin dak ta’ warajh, ma kienx mument li libes inkravata bajda u ħamra. Nista’ naqra x-xufftejn ta’ Joseph “Ajj ħett etaj egżektli lajk dett ett koliġ”. U weħel miegħu.
Wasn’t he supposed to go there holding hands with Enrico Letta?
Why’s Letta with Cameron then?
Oh dear, no wonder he’s all glum.
I thought he’d be holding hands with his only friend, and the only one there who’s an even greater c*nt, François Hollande.
Around the time of the elections in France, people were all talking about giving Hollande a chance etc. and to my disbelief, proud to be voting Hollande. Today, asking the same people if they are still Socialist and proud, the answer is “Non, et j’en connais plus un.”
See? Even the Frogs have more sense than the Maltese. For I haven’t seen anyone in Malta unswitching.
Bniedem li ma jiflahx jaqa aktar ghan-nejk.
Wobble Wobble… It-Tifel tad-Doggy…dritt u stirat go Brussel
The bully-hamallu’s body language says it all. He is clearly out of his element there. Never loved the European thing, despite riding the gravy train as an MEP.
He looks like a grumpy street-boy forced (for some unknown reason) to attend a formal dinner with VIPs. While everyone’s having a ball, he stands there all alone in a corner planning revenge.
Barroso walks out a few metres behind Muscat. I wonder if Muscat tried to speak to Barroso and got ignored. The John Dalli issue comes to mind.
I wondered whether he waddled out in front of him with intention.
I don’t wish to rehash old jokes, but dahack, there are no translators. How can little Joseph make new friends if they don’t speak Maltese?
He looks like a homesick child about to cry.
Button about to pop – he needs a bigger jacket.
Cold-shouldered by his crush, Cameron. Wow, that must have hurt.
Interesting:
1) Joseph Muscat 2.30 twice makes a double take towards the cameras to make sure he is being photographed shaking hands with another PM (the only one);
2) heartening to note that Cameron and Letta are forging a friendship (Letta speaks perfect English) after the Berlusconi embarrassment;
3) Shultz almost knocks over the lady PM in red (Muscat probably acquired his manners);
4) Defni is jeliss det Joseph is in the family photo and she is not.
[Daphne – 5) The women seem to have a fondness for red jackets.]
Three out of four jackets. Not that women politicians have much choice when it comes to conference dress. It’s more or less the primary colours, green, and, where appropriate, black. Silver is out.
And why is it that Muscat seems not to know (or not give dafuq) about fellow Socialists and Social-Democrats except when it suits him (that is until 9th March)? He should’ve been cosying up to two of those red jackets.
Has anyone noticed that that Muscat is beginning to resemble an overstuffed sausage in his suits *Koz I Goez to the Gim ta’ everydej”
One more rep and that button will kill the entire staff at Reuters, Euronews and AP.
Ezatt fuq il passi ta Mintoff. Wiehed jittallab ghal flus u Muscat jittallab biex xi hadd jaghti kasu u jkellmu…
Muscat bhal siehbu Franco Debono – IRRELEVANTI
There was no sign of Joseph’s British humor.
Hi Daphne,
I hope this finds you well. Politics apart, for Malta’s sake, someone should have a serious talk with the prime minister about posture, specifically his arms. He always looks a cross between a village cercura lesta ghall-glied and a bad embalming job.
Additionally his jackets always look like a size or two too small, of the ill-fitting hand-me-downs variety.
I don’t know if you saw any of the takes of the so-called family photo of the summit. Muscat was standing in front of the Irish PM Enda Kenny. I’ve lived in Ireland for eight years now and I’ve seen more of Enda Kenny than I care to mention.
I can tell you for a fact that the look on Kenny’s face as he looked down on his Maltese counterpart was one of contempt and disdain – frankly, very unlike Kenny. I can’t help wondering what Muscat has been up to to trigger such a reaction.
Lastly, and this is going back a couple of weeks, I didn’t notice that you said anything about the comment passed by that intellectually vacant basin of a Magistrate Carol Peralta when he stated that foreigners who break the law in Malta will be dealt with harshly.
This is yet another illuminated display of ignorance by the same man who condones gay hate crimes in places like Mellieha.
Take care
Jeff
Everytime I see this kind of footage, I feel sorry for Gonzi.
I don’t. I feel angry at him. He squandered a 12,000-vote majority and foisted his own problems upon the entire nation.
Having experienced isolation in international meetings as a result of the unreasonable and undiplomatic attitudes of my political masters in the times of Dom Mintoff and Alex Sceberras Trigona, I feel no elation at what Joseph Muscat is going through.
No doubt, failure will be presented as success, and this will be believed by those who voted for him. But I dread what JM’s reaction will be since he will know the truth.